Shipping

Scoop on Airline Marriage and Military Pet PCS

February 21, 2012 By MDS admin Leave a Comment

The imminent merger of two large U.S. commercial airlines will not affect the costs for service members shipping their pets with them on military-contracted “Patriot Express” flights as they make permanent change-of-station moves, according to defense officials.

“Our contract allows pets to fly for a tariff that’s already been negotiated,” said Cynthia Bauer, spokeswoman for the U.S. Transportation Command.

A variety of commercial passenger carriers contract with the Defense Department for Patriot Express flights, Bauer said, adding that Patriot Express missions are “the primary way” that military passengers on official orders move to and from the U.S. and overseas locations.

Currently, service members moving to or from overseas locations and flying on contracted Patriot Express aircraft pay $112 to fly a pet weighing up to 70 pounds, regardless of where they are flying, Bauer said. For pets weighing more than that and up to 140 pounds, it’s another $112, or a total of $224.

That cost is set by TransCom, along with the Air Mobility Command, at the time that the contract that includes Patriot Express flights is agreed to, Bauer said. “It’s not negotiable,” she said. “That’s what the service member pays.”

United Airlines and Continental Airlines are two of the Patriot Express carriers. As those two airlines merge, the new United will adopt Continental’s PetSafe program. Beginning March 3, except for small animals that can be carried on board, United will no longer check in animals at the airport ticket counter for travel in the cargo area of the plane. Instead, passengers will take their pets to cargo facilities or express offices.

But for those shipping pets outside the Patriot Express venue, costs could increase in some areas. For example, “due to Japanese law, anyone shipping their pets from Japan pays our PetSafe rate and a third party forwarder at market rates,” said Mary Ryan, a spokeswoman for United.

She said the company realizes the pricing could affect some military families who do not use Patriot Express flights, and is evaluating its pricing from Narita International Airport. Information was not available about the differences in pricing at press time, but one source told the Defense Department newspaper Stars and Stripes that prices for shipping under the new system could reach almost $4,000.

“Patriot Express is a good first option for [military] travelers, especially those travelers with pets,” Bauer said, adding that local transportation offices can help military members and their families with the latest information.

Filed Under: moving with pets, News, PCS'ing, Pets, Planning, Shipping

How Can I supervise the packing?

May 11, 2011 By MDS admin Leave a Comment

When you are being packed, it would be nice to be able to simply depend on the knowledge, the skill and professionalism of packers. Unfortunately, you can’t and you shouldn’t. That’sÂ why it’s crucial to supervise the packing of your household goods.

Several issues:

How can I supervise all of the packers at once/by myself/ourselves? What should I watch out for?

The biggest step is to be prepared: Have you sorted your household goods by what shouldn’t be packed at all? (lock the door!). Did you separate and label your Pro Gear? Have you prepped and marked items for the “Open me first” boxes?

Have at least 2 people at your home during packing to supervise.If things don’t feel right, speak up, document (take pictures,video…). If you feel there is a greater issue call quality control of your local transportation office or JPPSO. You are well prepared for this situation if you already have all the numbers on hand – or on your smartphone.

Especially if you are close to your weight limit watch for over packing/stuffing. It seems to be a thin line, as you really want to make sure your household goods are packed safely, but you don’t want useless packaging that would increase your weight. (Do you have all your trashcans emptied?) If you are being overcharged know that you can appeal see how.

Make sure that the packers write adequate descriptions of the contents on the boxes themselves and later on the inventory.Â While the packers do not have to list every item, they should write the general category of the items on the outside of the boxes.Â The general category of each box (e.g., CD’s, toys, garage items, etc.) should also be written on the inventory.

Check that items that would not logically be packed in a certain box are specifically listed.Â Examples: tools packed

in a box marked clothes (we’ve all had some of that?!) ; a lamp packed in a box marked garage items, electronics packed in a box of pillows.Â If you later claim for an item that would not reasonably be expected to be found in a certain box, you may not be paid for it.

How can I check all the inventory they have listed on the ‘pink’ paper DD 1840 R ?

I am sure you have done all this:

Document the purchase date (month/year) and purchase price
Gather paid bills, credit card slips, canceled checks, etc
For electronics, document the serial number and working/mechanical condition
Take photographs and/or video recordings to document the condition of items
For antiques, obtain a pre-shipment appraisal (necessary to claim as antique
Date your inventory and label and date your photographs
Maintain all this documentation with you â€“ not in your HHG shipment

THEN:

You can start by studying the codes and abbreviations so that you can determine much faster if a remark such as worn/scratched/cracked is really accurate. The reason this is very important is that any remarks (true or not) are being taken into consideration when you are filing any claims for damages and will potentially lower your reimbursement.

Watch the carrier employee who fills out the inventory to ensure he is describing the condition of your property correctly.Â If you disagree with his notations on preexisting damage, write your exceptions/disagreements at the bottom of each inventory sheet.

High-value items absolutely must be listed on the inventory. We were asked which high value item we would like listed on a separate ‘High-Value-Inventory’ sheet. (Maybe you don’t want them packed at all but handcarry them? Have you considered extra insurance?)

What not to pack in your HHG shipment: money, jewelry, items of very high importance to you (irreplaceable items).

Filed Under: Military LIfe, PCS'ing, PPM (DITY), Shipping Tagged With: army, boxes, household goods, movers, navy, packers, packing, shipping, supervising

Door-to-door delivery

April 25, 2011 By MDS admin 6 Comments

Yes,Â the military has FIVE seasons during the year and all military families are intimately familiar with the 5th one: PCSing. This fifth season starts mainly around May and ends generally around September. That said, military families are PCSing all year – some even several times a year which puts a real strain on families. Last year about 230,000 families moved during the summer months rotation alone! It is not surprising that it can get difficult to get a packing and loading date, unless you get an early start.

Allow at least three weeks to schedule your appointments after you have submitted your moving request, but the earlier the better. The transportation providers (moving contractors) are given 10 calendar days minimum to determine shipment dates and schedules.

Packing company, Independent Truck Driver

Once the mover has accepted a date, they will communicate with you on how to proceed , ie. pre move inspections, packing days. What some military members might not be aware off is that they can directly communicate with the moving company once a moving company has ‘accepted’ their date.

What we didn’t know is that the packing is sub-contracted out to a different company. Meaning that the the service provider actually moving your goods is generally NOT the one that is also packing your household goods. They contacted us and they came by to do our pre-move inspection. Then in our case, it also seemed that -for whatever reason- we had also a sub-contracted, independent truck driver. Our truck-driver was very courteous, he called us and let us know what his schedule of arrival was going to be. He also had his own (trusted) loading crew, he seemed to do mainly west coast trips. We took down his phone number and from then on we really didn’t have any contact anymore with the official moving company but always went straight to the driver/owner.

Door to Door delivery

We knew that we wanted a door to door delivery, since we new that storage usually causes the biggest damage to household goods. We already had housing set up, so all was good. We only had one issue, in that we had or rather wanted to spend 2 more weeks in Washington State. So what to do? We decided that I would stay in Washington at a friends’ house while my husband was driving ahead of the truck to our new place.

In the end, husband left Washington State the day AFTER our furniture left, and arrived in Colorado a day BEFORE our furniture got there. In the mean time our truck driver was really good giving him updates on where he was and what time to expect him. Of course, we made ourselves available so that he could always reach us.

I think this was the most contact we’d EVER had with a truck driver. I liked that though.

Damages

We didn’t have any this time. In fact, there was such little damage during the last move that we didn’t bother to report it. I have to admit that I HATE, no: H-A-T-E, filing claims. The little damage that we had, as annoying as it was, IÂ did not report NOR file. This time there was a kids desk that was broken apart, when the truck drivers crew loaded the truck. However, the truck driver said immediately, that he would pay for the damage himself and to tell him the price.

That was the first time we had ever encountered that a DRIVER offered to pay for damage. Fortunately, the desk was an older IKEA desk and was easy to replace. We looked the price up online and told him, and he wrote a check on the spot. He said that any damage reported to the transportation provider that contracted him, would go on his ‘performance’ record and he did not want that.

Tell me!

I know a lot of things can go wrong with a move…tell me what WORKED for you!

Filed Under: Military LIfe, Shipping Tagged With: army, door to door delivery, household goods, military, moving, storage, transportation, trucker

Reference: Appealing Excess Weight Cost

April 23, 2011 By MDS admin Leave a Comment

This is meant to be more of a reference on which you can fall back on when the ‘unthinkable’ happens to you. You have done it all:

You have sorted out, donated, sold items.
You have also claimed professional gear for you and your active duty spouse and/or medical gear separately.

You think you are within your limits. Yet you seemed to have exceeded your weight allowance and your Carriers will not be shy to charge you excess weight cost and at probably around $0.50 up to $5 per pound this cost could skyrocket quickly. If you are being charged overweight, know that there is a way for you to appeal this cost.

! Hold on to your shipping documents. !

If you decide to dispute the HHG shipment excess costs must begin the appeal process through the Traffic Management Office responsible for the delivery your personal property.Â (For Coast Guard personnel the CG Personal Property Transportation Manual, COMDTINST M4050.6, Chapter 2, Section 2008.7.d (page 2-18) provides guidance for the appeal process.) By now, you might also be able to do this through move.mil. If you do this, cover all your bases and still contact your TO/TMO

REQUEST A REWEIGH: If your shipment is picked up and exceeds your weight allowance,Â ask the destination TMF to have the shipment reweighed. You are welcome to observe the
weighing and reweighing of your shipment. Reweighing the shipment will not cause any increase in excess cost to you as our computations are based on the lower of the two weights.
Were PB&E declared on the DD-1299 at origin? If so, were the weight annotated on the inventory and included in the computations. I cannot say it often enough, that these items need to be sorted, recorded and weighed separately, before you sign the loading docs!

If you receive a DD Form 139 (Pay Adjustment Authorization), contact TMF BEFORE you agree to pay the debt.

You have four avenues of appeal:
a. REBUTTAL – Your first avenue is submitting a rebuttal through your local TMF. You must stateÂ the reasons why you wish to dispute the debt. (
b. REMISSION – Active duty enlisted members may file for remission of indebtedness through Accounting and Finance. Only the uncollected portion of a debt can be considered for remission.
(Ref DFAS DEM 7073-1)Â => hence, as mentioned, before do NOT pay if you intend to appeal.
c. BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS – If you feel an injustice exists, your next step is a review by the Board for Correction of Military Records. Process a DD Form 149
(Application for Correction of Military Records) through the Military Personnel Flight. Responses to your rebuttal and remission must accompany this application. (Ref AFP 36-2607)
d. GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE – Your final avenue is to the General Accounting Office. This request is processed through the Accounting and Finance Office. (Ref DFAS DEM 7073-1) Â Â Â Responses to your rebuttal and remission must accompany this application.

It may take anywhere from 3 to 9 months before you receive notification of indebtedness for exceeding your entitlements. This delay is due to carrier billing procedures and the gathering of
information worldwide by the Excess Cost Adjudication Function. Do not hesitate to use the above appeal process. Remember that you might have to go above mentioned avenue several times if not all your documentation was considered. You have nothing to lose but your debt. At the same time, consider putting away small amounts of money, in case you end up having to pay, if you appeals didnot go through.
Try and start a folder in which you keep these documents:

DD-139, Payment Adjustment Authorization (PAA) for linehaul
DD-139, Payment Adjustment Authorization (PAA) for storage
Government Bill of Lading
DD-619 & DD-619-1
DD-1299 & HHG Inventory Sheets
Counseling Worksheets & All weight tickets (original and reweighs)
Orders & Estimate forms (DD Form 1701 or SDDC Weight Estimator Form)

Filed Under: Allowances, PCS'ing, Shipping Tagged With: allowance, appeal, documents, HHG, household goods, rebuttal, reweigh, shipment, weight

Get your weight right!

March 2, 2011 By MDS admin Leave a Comment

Number 4 on our list of 10 biggest PCS mistakes is to have more â€˜stuffâ€™ than what the military will pay for. Being over the weight limit can become expensive very quickly.

OCONUS move:

Your weight allowance will vary and depend not only on your rank and dependent status but also WHERE you will be PCS’ing to. You will have to determine what to take and what to leave in storage in the US.

CONUS move:

Your weight allowance is the allowed weight determined by the service members rank and family status. In the case of a PCS the military will pay the cost to move the predetermined amount of weight. This weight allowance does not include PBG&E/(Professional Gear)
orMEDICAL EQUIPMENT. Since it does not count toward your total weight allowance it is very important that you set it aside and mark it as such. Marking Pro Gear is even more important, if there is a chance that you might be over your weight limit.

The Service Member is responsible for staying within the assigned weight allowance, if you exceed that amount you are financially responsible for the added expenses of moving it with you HHG. As a method for making this estimate is to figure

1,000 lbs. per fully furnished room,
500 lbs. per partially furnished room.
The kitchen and bathroom together count as one room.
Add the estimated weight of large appliances and items in the garage, storage rooms, and the basement to that amount

You can get a more accurate estimate for your weight if you use this weight estimator. The weight of both, your government move as well as aÂ partial PPM (formerly DITY), will count towards your weight allowance.

Example:

You are authorized 8,000lbs. Your government move weighs in withÂ 7,000lbs (no professional gear is considered) and your partial PPM weighs in (your certified weight certificates) 1,500lbs. The military will pay for the 7,000lbs+1,000lbs, you will not be reimbursed for the remaining 500lbs of your PPM

If your government move is over the weight limit, then you will be charged ~ $2/lbs (as of 8/2010).

You are entitled to have your shipment reweighed prior to delivery at destination. A request for a reweigh can be made through the transportation office either at origin or at destination prior to delivery.

Filed Under: Allowances, Shipping Tagged With: allowance, CONUS, moving, PBG&E, pcs, pcsing, professional gear, weight, weight estimator

Overseas Movers’ Discriptions

March 2, 2011 By MDS admin 2 Comments

I have previously talked about movers discriptions which are used within the United States.Â The codes are added on the “Household goods descriptive inventory” to each description of unboxed items like furniture pieces (large speakers, wall decorations). Why should you know them? The abbreviations do not really matter if the move of your household goods worked out fine with little or no damage. This is different if you have substantial damage on one or more items. If the items are described as “scratched”, “gouged”,”faded” -especially if they are NOT- then the transportation provider might apply and adjust a lower value.

If you are moving outside the US you might see the abbreviations below. Personally, I would tell the movers that you will check each item with remarks about condition for accuracy. If your mover does not want to change the form sheet, then remark your findings on the sheet and take [more] pictures of the item in question. Feel free to ask your transportation providerÂ for aÂ list of theÂ description codes ahead of time, beforeÂ your household goods are loaded.

Origin & Destinations other than USA

Damage Locations A Arm

A/O All Over

B Back

C Corner

D Door

E Edge

F Front

G Glass

IN Inside

K Knob

L Leg

LT Left

P Paint/Finish

R Rear

S Side

TP Top

V Veneer

Damage Symbols 1 Broken
2 Burned
3 Chipped
4 Condition Unknown
5 Contents Unknown
6 Cracked
7 Dented
8 Faded
9 Gouged
10 Loose
11 No Obvious Damage
12 Mechanical Condition Unknown
13 Missing
14 Rusted
15 Normal Wear
16 Owner’s Risk
17 Not Serviced
18 Padded & Wrapped
19 Rubbed
20 Scratched
21 Soiled
22 Torn
23 Worn
24 Lifting
25 Crushed
26 Split
27 Bent
28 Cut
29 Flat
30 Hole
31 Punctured
32 Pitted
PBO Packed By Owner
PBM Packed By Member

RoomLocation BST Basement

BTH Bathroom

MBR Master Bedroom

B2 Bedroom 2nd

B3 Bedroom 3rd

D Den

DR Dining Room

FR Family Room

G Garage

H Hall

K Kitchen

LDR Laundry Room

LR Living Room

OFC Office

P Patio

SS Storage Shed

WS Workshop

via

Filed Under: PCS'ing, Shipping Tagged With: abreveations, damage, inventory, moving, pcs, pcsing, relocation

Donâ€™t ship too much during your pcs move!

February 15, 2011 By MDS admin Leave a Comment

Moving to a new place is like starting a new year. You have resolutions and some new beginnings. Itâ€™s definitely a great time to throw out some old things and maybe buy a few new items. Sorting out and selling or donating those items is a great way to make sure you stay within your military shipping weight allowance . Therefore, hold off on those new purchases until you have a arrived at your new duty station or until you know exactly what to expect.

The sorting process will become especially important when you have to consider housing in overseas duty stations. Generally, housing is adequate but by far not as generous in size and storage as you would find it stateside. Most likely you will split your household goods into several parts:

Items that you donâ€™t really need in the next few years will go into separate, probably non-temporary storage. This might be appliances as other countries have different electric currents, certain home decoration, extra bedroom sets and so on.
Household Goods that are shipped by boat. Items that you will want at your new destination, but will take several weeks up to several months to arrive.
â€œUnaccompanied Baggageâ€ Those are household items that you need immediately but they are bare bones. The shipment is expedited and will (hopefully arrive very quickly at your new duty station). Suggestions for items in unaccompanied baggage:
- consists of personal clothing and equipment, essential pots, pans, and light housekeeping items;
- collapsible items such as cribs, playpens, and baby
  carriages;
- and other articles required for the care of dependents.
- Items such as refrigerators, washing machines, and other major appliances or furniture must not be included in
  unaccompanied baggage.
Suitcases that you are taking with you on the plane to your new military duty stations.

Make sure you are diligent in regards to sorting out and researching the sizeÂ and type of quarters that will be available your new duty station. Donâ€™t find yourself in the situation where you have too little space for all your personal property.

Find information

Filed Under: PCS'ing, Shipping Tagged With: army, household goods, marine coprs, military, moving, navy, pcs, shipping, UA baggage, unacompanied baggage, weight allowance

10 Things you forget when you are moving

February 9, 2011 By MDS admin 1 Comment

via http://sketchedout.wordpress.com

It seems quite odd to ask this question but really have you packed EVERYTHING? Nothing forgotten to turn on or off? Here are some of the most frequent things forgotten.

Often forgotten: Itâ€™s obvious that Fido canâ€™t go into the moving truck. Smaller pets are easily forgotten. Hamsters, fish, reptiles. Make sure those little pets haveÂ a place in your car or a new home before you move. While you are at it, pick up your petsâ€™ records at your current veterinarian. Ask them as well if they have any recommendation for your new location and what recommendation they have for transport.
Often forgotten: Did you return items that you borrowed? Movies, Booksâ€¦.Did you ask your friends to return items that THEY borrowed from you?
Often forgotten: Anything in the yard, particularly hidden and buried â€˜treasuresâ€™. What a surprise that could possibly be for the new owners or renters of your â€˜oldâ€™ residence?
Often forgotten: Turn off the utilities at your old residence. I am sure you do not want to pay any charges of the new renters?
Often forgotten: Turn on utilities at your new home before you actually get there! This way you are not left in the cold, dark, heat or heaven forbid: in silence.
Often forgotten: DONâ€™T pack the garage door opener! Check your car.
Often forgotten: Pick up school records!
Often forgotten: Donâ€™t delete old contacts -just yet! Wait awhile before you do.
Often forgotten: Leave your new address.
Often forgotten: De-stress! Even though, you have a to-do list thatâ€™s a mile long â€“ take care of yourself! Take a time out, when possible â€“ and take a deep breath!

I would love to hear things that YOU have forgotten before!

Filed Under: entitlements, PCS'ing, Shipping Tagged With: air force, army, marine corps, military, moving, navy, pcsing, spouse

Where Is the Toilet Paper?

January 30, 2011 By MDS admin 3 Comments

I can see it very clearly: You have arrived at your new home and finally, you have your own bathroomâ€¦Itâ€™s all great, until you realize there is no toilet paper and the previous occupantsÂ didnâ€™t leave you any. Good luck, trying to find the packed toilet paper if you havenâ€™t marked it clearly on the box.

To avoid this and similar awkward momentsÂ pack an â€œopen-me-first-boxâ€ for each room. The boxes that you pack will be clearly labeled and should have all the essentials for those first few days until you have unpacked the majority of your household goods. Donâ€™t be tempted and pack more than two â€˜open-me-firstâ€™ boxes per room! If you are packing yourself, youâ€™ll know that the very last thing youâ€™ll load are the â€œopen-me-first-boxesâ€ and maybe your â€œScrews and Toolsâ€ box.

If you are being packed by professionals make sure that you communicate to them that certain piles in your rooms need to be in a specially marked box. Personally, IÂ recommend those important items be gathered in a laundry basket. Clearly mark for the contents of this basket to be placed in priority box. Just to be on the safe side, tell the packers too! Once those packers get on a roll, everything that is not nailed down gets packed up and sometimes you wonâ€™t even know about it until itâ€™s loaded and gone.

Supervise for these priority boxes to be loaded last and unloaded first. While you are at it, ask the movers where all the screws from the disassembled furniture is, just so that you know. It also tells the movers that you are paying attention.

What would you have in such priority or â€œopen-me-firstâ€ boxes? Here are some suggestions:

Kitchen items:

Aluminum foil or plastic wrap
Break-proof or disposable flatware, cups, and plates
Coffee maker and coffee (donâ€™t forget the filters!)
Dish detergent
Frying pan and spatula
Pet food and bowls
Scissors
Tea kettle

Bathroom items:

Bath mat
Bath towels
First-aid kit (aspirin, band-aids, hydrogen peroxide)
Shampoo
Shower curtain and rings
Soap
Toilet paper
Toothbrushes and toothpaste

Baby Room:

Clothes
Diapers and wipes
Portable crib
Favorite Toys
Baby food

Special Tools:

Duct tape
Flashlight
Flat-head screwdriver
Hammer
Level
Phillips-head screwdriver
Tape measure
Utility knife

Good luck in your new home!Â Check out our other great PCSing tips!

Filed Under: Military LIfe, PCS'ing, PPM (DITY), Shipping Tagged With: air force, army, boxes, home, housing, marine corps, military, moving, packing, pcsing, relocation

The movers are at your house. Do this!

December 25, 2010 By MDS admin Leave a Comment

The movers have finally arrived. You have everything sorted, arranged, and otherwise everything is in check….remember these things today to ensure your household goods are actually making it on the truck and out the neighborhood:

+You or your releasing agent (=whoever other than the service member, if you have one, note it on form during PCS brief) must be present the day(s) scheduled for pack and pickup between the hours of 0800 and 1700.

+Do not negotiate with the carrier or agent to deviate from this responsibility.

+You should not schedule appointments during your HHG move or request last minute schedule changes as this often disrupts service for other members.

+You should not leave your residence during packing or pickup services. Otherwise, the carrier will terminate services and charge waiting time at your expense.

+Ensure your residence is clean and organized for the move. Carriers can refuse to pack and pick up your items if your HHGs and home are not clean and organized.
+Attempted pickup charges will be your responsibility.

+Be sure to secure valuables, i.e., currency, jewelry, credit cards, and other expensive items under lock and key and separate from your household goods.

+Movers – The number of packers and loaders assigned to your move is usually determined by the weight of your shipment; Please work with the pre-move surveyor and the local agent when you have packing and loading concerns associated with allotted manpower for your move.

Filed Under: PCS'ing, Shipping Tagged With: carriers, household goods, loaders, loading, movers, moving day, packers, pcsing, weight